I was gonna go with something more involved, but I’m busy with houseguests, so never mind.
If Paul Westerberg has ever explained the genesis of this tune from “Pleased to Meet Me,” the 1987 album the band recorded after dismissing wildman guitarist Bob Stinson, I’ve never found it. Some think it’s about Stinson getting canned. But I’ve always thought it might have been Westerberg’s response to fans who were disappointed by one of their booze-addled concerts.
The ‘Mats were infamous for forgetting the lyrics to songs, breaking into sloppy covers they dropped halfway through and generally sabotaging themselves. “The words I thought I brought I left behind, so never mind” seems like the kind of apology Westerberg would have delivered.
The LP, produced by Jim Dicksinson of Big Star fame, was released the year after the band’s disastrous “Saturday Night Live” shenanigans got them banned from future appearances. They soldiered on until 1991 without ever finding the popular success they deserved, and they’ve been roundly ignored by the Rock Hall of Fame, which probably fears what might happen if they showed up.
